This invention relates to buttonhole sewing presser devices for sewing machines employing a traveling shoe which moves with the work fabric relatively to the presser foot during the sewing of the buttonhole and particularly of the type having a work engaging plate which contacts the opposite side of the work fabric from the traveling shoe. Reference is made to the U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,403, Apr. 15, 1975 of S. J. Ketterer, which discloses the type of buttonhole sewing presser device to which this invention may be applied, which patent is incorporated herein by reference. In this type of buttonhole sewing presser device the position of the traveling shoe is used to indicate or control the length of buttonhole being stitched. In order to make a buttonhole of the desired length, therefore, it is necessary for the traveling shoe to occupy the proper starting position at the beginning of buttonhole sewing and if the traveling shoe is accidentally shifted out of the initial position during insertion of work fabric, one side of the resulting buttonhole will be too short.